Take Me Back to the Start
by SinnerLikeHim
Summary: Caroline woke up in the middle of the woods craving for blood. After almost killing her first victim, she agreed to go with a stranger by the name Nik so long as he could save the poor man's life. Little did she know that she was putting herself into a much more dangerous situation - one that she probably could have no control over at all. Sets at the beginning of Season 2. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This story is set somewhere at the beginning of Season 2. There are also a few adjustments, for instance Caroline was never attracted to Matt and she never had the accident that led to her being turned, etc. More to be explained as the story progresses.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, or else the plotline may probably make a little more sense.

* * *

She gasped for air and woke up from the trance.

Caroline's blue eyes widened as she realised she was lying on the bare ground. Her head hurt like hell and so did her neck, but she couldn't seem to remember how she got here and what had got her here. The last thing she could remember, though, was searching through her handbag for her car key so that she could be on her way back home, yet after that, her memories appeared to be complete blank.

_Did someone drug her and steal her kidney?_

She struggled to sit up as everything within her body felt so foreign to her. It's not exactly the pain that was most surprising, it's the refreshing feeling that she'd never had before, as though she was a brand new herself that could forget about the past and simply move forward. Her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness and she looked around, only to notice that she seemed to be in the middle of the woods - hopefully still in Mystic Falls.

But most importantly? Her kidney seemed just fine as she looked down at her fully-clothed body.

It then became more confusing. If she was as good as before, what had happened during this period when she was out? How long had it been? Who brought her here and left her without leaving so much as a note? Did any of these make any sense at all? All the questions lingered, yet there was nobody there to answer them. Her frustration became overwhelming within less than a mere second.

It must be late, though, judging by how dark it was and how hungry she seemed to be. She'd never felt such strong hunger before, not even when she starved herself for two days straight just to lose some weight - stupid decision now come to think of it. That desire for something in particular to fill her stomach was so strong that it was the only thing she could think about at the moment. She could probably eat a rabbit if she encountered one now. And her guilty conscience wouldn't have a say in this.

Caroline wet her chapped lips as she stood up from the ground and swallowed. She didn't know where exactly she was, and she'd never been the sort of determined girl who always seemed to find the way. It might take her hours to get herself out of this damn forest; she'd probably starved herself to death before that. Getting grumpier by minute, the blonde took the way that seemed most familiar, although they basically seemed equally familiar in her impatient eyes.

A soft crackling sound came from quite a distance but she seemed to hear it ever so clearly. Her brows furrowed in confusion while her legs automatically dragged her towards that direction. It was the hunger that was taking control at the moment, not her anymore.

First thing came into sight as she approached the certain place was a bonfire set up on an empty spot. The crackling sound she heard earlier was probably caused by it, as there were more similar ones coming as she stared at it with hollow eyes. Her gaze was on the fire, but her mind was at a complete different place - a place nearby. She heard someone's heart beating strongly against their chest; she heard someone's blood pumping in their veins which was beyond absurd since - was that even possible? But as her eyes fell upon the male that was sitting by the bonfire, no confirmation was in need any longer - she was sure that she could technically _see_ his blood running through his veins, especially the ones in his neck.

Caroline swallowed again, this time much harder than the last time when she was alone. She knew it'd be polite if she looked the man in the eyes, but she couldn't lift her blue hues up even for an inch.

She was so fascinated by how the veins in his neck were popped out that nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

"Hey. Are you all right?" asked the stranger as he realised her presence.

The blonde murmured a vague 'Yes,' but her eyes never once left his exposed skin. She wondered how amazing it'd feel if she were to have a bite there. It must be marvellous.

That thought scared the hell out of her once she realised what she was thinking the whole time. She wanted blood. She wanted fresh blood coming directly from a human's veins. She wanted it so bad that it'd ceased to be her concern whether this man would be killed or not.

She just wanted one bite. One bite certainly wouldn't hurt much.

Keeping her gaze intently on the man's neck as she approached, Caroline knew what she had to do to make herself feel better. She had to take a bite. She had to take a bite because that was all that she could think about at the moment. It wouldn't stop until she took that bite, she was certain of it. She could see the man's flustered expression out of the corner of her eyes. He must be even more confusing than she was. He probably wasn't aware of the danger that was about to come. But well, he probably should have seen it coming when he decided to camp alone in the middle of the night.

It was his poor decision that got himself into this, not her selfishness. At least that was what she told herself.

"I'm not going to hurt you... much." muttered the blonde as she looked into the man's eyes, which soon became hollow and dull all of a sudden. "You have something that I want so... desperately and I promise I will give you something in return."

She ignored the strange look in the man's eyes as she marched forward, taking him by the hair until his exposed neck was just in front of her parted lips. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, though. She couldn't understand her hunger for blood in the first place. But what happened next was probably pure instincts. Her teeth were stinging as there was something eager to come out; her eyes were stinging as well as she felt blood fill them, making everything covered by a dark shade of red. Something was happening to her, and she's not bothered to figure out what it was before she sank her teeth in that man's neck - or her fangs as she later recognised. The delicious smell of his blood made her eyelids lowered in pleasure, and she was soon lost in that tremendously marvellous feeling that any promises she'd made earlier were already left behind.

She could never have enough of this.

"You are killing him, sweetheart."

A foreign voice sounded from behind and her eyes shot open immediately. She'd not even realised someone was approaching. She'd not even realised what she was doing to the innocent man until she looked down and saw the damage she'd done to him. Blood was dripping from the bite mark and the poor man was barely breathing. His heartbeat became so faint now; she could barely hear it even being such close to him.

Drawing in a deep breath, the blonde let go of her victim and took a few steps back, watching as that body fall to the ground senselessly. She was killing him. She promised she wouldn't hurt him but she was taking his life mercilessly. He was so close to his death that there was nothing she could do to correct her mistake.

"I hope you're not considering getting rid of me as well now that I've witnessed this."

She quickly turned around and was startled to see another man standing behind her, leaning his side against a giant tree and watching her with an amused look in his blue eyes. No only had she just murdered someone, her crime was also witnessed by someone else. She was not getting away with this, obviously.

Caroline stood there dumbfounded. Her rational mind was not working and her instincts were not telling her what her next move could be. But she felt so powerful now that she was not that hungry anymore. She felt like she could do just anything as she wanted and nobody would be able to stop her. Getting rid of the man standing in front of her probably was her best option, but she was not a killer and the mere thought terrified her.

"I know what this looks like, but it's not what you think." whispered the girl as she was surprised to hear her own cracked voice.

The blond man almost sneered. "Is that so?" his lips twitched into an annoying smirk. "Sounds like every killer's poor self-defense."

"I'm not - " she snapped. " - a killer!"

"A murderer then. Whatever word you'd like to use, love."

She stared at him with her mouth agape. She couldn't even find an excuse for what she'd just done. He was right in any possible way. But there was something unusual about this man. Surely people would have been running away and screaming after witnessing what he'd just witnessed, right? How could he be so calm and relaxed?

"I didn't mean to... kill him." Caroline muttered, her guilt spread all over her bloody face. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

The man dropped his arms as he approached her, his face becoming clearer as he was closer to the bonfire. Even under such circumstance, she could still notice how handsome and charming he was, but it was no use of easing her mind at the moment. She couldn't possibly care less about his appearance.

"Nothing is _wrong_ about you, sweetheart." he beamed as he caressed her arm while her whole body tensed in defense. "Right on the contrary. You were given a gift. You were given the chance to experience a new world that wasn't even known by you before. You were the chosen one."

She blinked rapidly as none of those things made any sense to her. All she could manage to think about was one particular thing. "But that man was dying and I should be held responsible for it."

He seemed to be taken by surprise hearing her words. But a mischievous smile appeared on his face later as he shot a quick glance at the guy lying on the ground, barely breathing.

"What if there is a way for you to save him? Would you do anything just to save him from dying?"

Her eyes widened as she clung to that tiny scrap of hope. She nodded drastically and gave him a pleading look. "Yes. Anything. I will do anything."

"Very well." nodded the man in agreement. "I happen to be in need of a private servant who could do all my dirty work for me. You seem fairly handy."

Caroline opened her mouth, ready to protest. _Were they on a spin-off of Downton Abbey or something?_ What kind of person would need a servant in these days? Just because he had the British accent didn't mean she was going to play along, right? But then another more urgent matter came to realise. Perhaps she was better off being a servant than a murderer, after all, at least that way she wouldn't have to live with the guilt for another few decades until her own death.

"Fine. I'll be your - servant, if that's the price I have to pay." she nodded reluctantly, looking away from the man who seemed to be the kind of jerk she'd not been expecting.

There was no reponse coming from his end. Instead, he simply grinned and raised his wrist all of a sudden, then took a bite. Before she could so much as express her surprise, he dashed towards the dying man and placed his wrist just upon those pale lips. Whatever that he was doing seemed to be working pretty well, as blood seemed to reappear on the man's face while he sucked desperately from the wrist.

Caroline wondered if this night could get any more peculiar.

"You are going to remember nothing." said the blond man with his accented voice as his pupils dilated staring into the other male's eyes. "You came here to enjoy a quiet evening and that is exactly what you got. No one else was here, and you were never attacked by a vampire."

_A vampire._

She stopped breathing when those words came out of his lips. He just called her a vampire. As in the viscous creatures that were so infamous in movies and books. As in the monsters that should not exist in reality. Caroline was stunned. But she knew it was more believable than she was letting in because she just bit the innocent man's neck wanting human blood.

_She was a vampire._

"It appears some explanation is needed." said the blond man as he stood up and walked towards her. "We should probably do it elsewhere before our friend here collects himself and notices our presence."

He took her by the arm and dragged her along with him.

"Where are we going?"

"You will know it once we arrive."

"Well, can you at least tell me your name then?"

He took a moment to look back at her with a knowing look that she didn't seem to understand.

"I'm... Nik." whispered the male a second later. "Just call me Nik."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you for the favourites, follows and lovely reviews! I really was not expecting them when I posted the first chapter. They definitely encouraged me!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, or else the plotline may probably make a little more sense.

* * *

There were a million questions lingering in her mind but she didn't dare ask any of them. They both kept quiet ever since he revealed his name and it looked like he wasn't intended to fill her in on any other information anytime soon. Caroline kept one small step behind the utter stranger, her eyes fixed on his back intently.

"You do realise I can actually _feel_ your gaze upon me, don't you?"

She cursed under her breath when his sudden words startled her out of her wits. _How did he know that she'd been staring the whole time? Was he psychic or something?_

"I'm sorry." muttered the awkward blonde. "You have a nice behind, though."

"So I've been told."

She didn't miss the amusement in his tone; it was all too obvious since he wasn't even trying to hide it. This was of no help to her and her grumpiness, obviously, nothing _was_ ever since she woke up in the middle of the woods. It's not like she'd always been the patient kind of person, of course, but the urge she'd been feeling to explode was way much stronger than before.

It was not possible to control her overwhelming feelings somehow, and she couldn't understand why.

"I was simply being _polite_, you know. No need to be all cocky and conceited over a meaningless comment." said the neurotic girl bitterly.

She probably shouldn't have let those honest words slip considering the circumstances, but she couldn't help herself. So what he'd witnessed her murdering someone? So what none of the things happened tonight make any sense? So what the previous hunger had come back and she so desperately wanted to commit another crime already? It was so tiring to deal with all this - deal with her guilty conscience and rational mind - that she just wanted to let it all go.

"You've quite the temper." the man shot a quick glance at her with slight appreciation in his eyes. slowing down his pace so that they were almost shoulder to shoulder. "Perhaps we are rather alike."

Her eyes narrowed at that conclusion he seemed to have come to._ Was he serious? They were _nothing_ alike. They'd just met like what, ten minutes ago and he thought he knew her so well?_ Sneering, Caroline rolled her eyes while shaking her head gently.

"Well, your temper certainly is invisible to _me_."

He let out a loud chuckle.

_What it was about her that seemed to amuse him so much anyways?_

"My temper only reveals itself when it's utterly necessary." he looked her up and down in a somewhat flirtatious way. "As of right now I'm in a rather pleasant place."

"Well, that makes _one_ of us, doesn't it?" she responded, getting more and more uneasy by second.

He flashed a grin and went back to enjoying the silence as they gradually reached the end of the woods. She could see the lights in town right ahead of them, but the relief she was expecting didn't really come to visit.

She didn't want to face that messed up life of hers just yet, especially when she's still utterly oblivious to what had happened earlier.

A small voice whispered in her mind that the stranger right beside her probably knew the answers to most of her questions.

"Are you just gonna let me walk away like this?" asked the blonde after she drew in a deep breath to calm herself. "And what's with that - thing - you did with the man back there?"

The word _vampire_ had not left her mind for a mere second, but the very thought of speaking that word was too horrifying. It would make it somewhat more realistic. _But vampires didn't exist, right? Even if they did - despite how slim the chances were - she couldn't possibly be one of them, right?_

What she did to the innocent man earlier, however, inferred differently. There were fangs replacing her usual teeth and she'd literally enjoyed drinking blood.

Nevertheless, the man walking right next to her seemed to appreciate her asking the questions. He almost looked like a professor who's proud of the student that'd just made a valuable academic assumption.

"It's called compulsion, love." he explained. "We use it to let people do as we command."

His explanation didn't make the doubt go away; on the contrary, she was even more confused than a moment ago, if it's even possible.

"What do you mean, _compulsion_? And... _we_?" she glared. "There's just you and me here... Nick. There is no _we_ whatsoever."

"_We_ are both vampires, sweetheart. Perhaps you're not an Original one like I am, but we still belong to the same species." he shrugged and winked at her. "And it's _Nik_ without the 'c'. Just thought I shall clarify it."

There it was, _again_. _Vampires_. If she'd somehow heard it wrong the last time, she couldn't deny it this time. He was calling her a vampire again, moreover, he claimed to be one himself.

"I'm not - " she refused to accept it stubbornly. " - the thing you just said. I don't know about you, but I - I am just a normal teenage girl who's probably a little bit more neurotic and insecure than the rest of the girls my age.

"But I'm not - a _vampire_."

Finally saying it out loud for the first time really made it sound more like the truth. However hard she wanted to deny it, a small part of her actually believed it - it was more reasonable than any other explanation she could come up with.

"Ah, how I miss this part." the grin on the man's face widened as his eyes flickered in the darkness. "It's quite the pleasure to watch how you gradually come to accept the reality.

"Yes." he nodded when he noticed she started holding her breath. "This _is_ the reality, sweetheart. Vampires do exist and there are so much more about this world you don't know about."

She sneered again, turning her face away from him so that he wouldn't see the intimidated look in her blue hues.

"You're not gonna tell me that werewolves are true as well, are you?"

She was just being sarcastic, for God's sakes. She was just making conversations. She was not expecting the confirmation to that stupid question she shouldn't have asked.

"As a matter of fact, they are, love. And they happen to be vampires' mortal enemies. Try not to get yourself bitten by a wolf."

_Fantastic. Just when she thought her night couldn't get more peculiar._

"You're kidding, right?" her voice was cracked as she swallowed. "You've _gotta_ be kidding, right? Is this some stupid jokes my friends paid you to play? Or is it - a British thing or something?"

It would be an utter understatement to say that he was amused by her now.

"Rest assured I have better things to do than playing tricks on you, Caroline. And I'm not British precisely. I was actually born and raised on this very land, back when it was not called Mystic Falls yet."

"Back when - " her voice trailed away. History had never been her expertise, but it must be at least be decades or so since the Founders named this town Mystic Falls, if not longer. Should he not be lying then -

"How old are you, exactly?" she suddenly recalled the movies she'd watched in which vampires were actually immortal. The idea was crazy, she knew. _It could not be possible, right? Surely it was against nature or something, otherwise everyone would want to be a vampire instead, wouldn't they?_

"I haven't been counting but it's perhaps around a thousand years now."

She felt sick to the stomach hearing those words while staring at the careless expression on his face. _How could he make it sound like they were simply talking about the weather or what they were going to have for breakfast?_

"A thousand years?" she chuckled nervously. The smile she'd forced was still plastered on her face, but she couldn't feel her muscles. "Are we filming an epilogue of Twilight here?"

He looked a bit confused about her words, but he didn't say anything about it. Squinting at the horizon suspiciously, the man took her by the arm all of a sudden.

"We should probably cease to walk like idiot humans. Or else you shall learn the reality in the hard way once the sun comes up."

She rose her eyebrows, not knowing why they should be concerned with the sun. Yet before she could so much as speak out her doubt, he dragged her along with him and took off running in an unbelievable speed while everything around them appeared to be a blur.

And what the hell was _this_? She seemed to have lost the ability to be surprised by now.


End file.
